


Forever is a Long Time to Live

by OhHowFar



Category: Naruto, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Accidental Immortality, BAMF Haruno Sakura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-09-14 18:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16918023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhHowFar/pseuds/OhHowFar
Summary: Sakura Haruno is centuries old and her burning desire to end her on and off again friend/enemy/fellow accidental immortal has reached its peak.In which Sakura and Orochimaru are seemingly immortal and the Pro-Heros wished they never came out of the shadows.(Chapter 2 now edited and with some additions)





	1. Chapter 1

When Sarada Uchiha passed, the village mourned its beloved Ninth Hokage. The following week an elderly lady trembled in front of the memorial. No one glanced at the unremarkable woman with brown hair and sagging posture held up by a small cane. 

An equally unassuming man approached her. His single earring swayed with his slow gait and his eyes drank in the woman in front of him. “A heroic way to end a prosperous life,” He commented. 

To any outsider his voice would sound light but she caught the disappointment in his voice. 

“Even with the Strength of a Hundred Seal,” He mused and stopped at her side. “It makes you wonder if anybody else would’ve been able to withstand the attack.” 

She doesn’t even glance at him. “Don’t test me.” 

There’s a beat of silence before she felt his stupid curiosity stir. “If we can recover her body I can look into the difference between her seal and yours-” 

She grabbed his face and teleported them to a clearing just outside of the fire country. Decades ago an old Leaf safehouse stood there before it was razed when it’s location was compromised. Her own Hiraishin seal remained on the crumbling foundation of the structure. 

Her illusion melted away as she tossed the man away from her. The wrinkles on her face smoothed out and the her blindingly pink hair hung in twin braids along her back. Sakura glared as the man recovered mid-air to land on his feet. She had hoped he would crash into a tree. 

Orochimaru similarly let his illusion drop and glared back. “This can possibly illuminate your situation and since I agreed to help, I suggest we do it soon to avoid too much decay.” 

“First off, no.” She breathed. “And second, I’m in mourning Orochimaru. Back off.” 

He raised an eyebrow. Her patience cultivated through the decades did not hold back the anger bubbling just below her skin. With a small shout she threw herself at him, fist raised high. 

He jumped away immediately and the ground fissured apart around her fist. With a slight frown he stopped weaving hand signs and redirected her fists away from his face. They entered a fluid dance laced with familiarity as he tactfully avoided her attacks and she disrupted any hand signs he began to form. 

A smile slid onto her face and she caught an equally growing grin appear on Orochimaru’s. After a century of honing her skills it was difficult to find a real challenge. Her giggles of joy barely held back the tears that built up at the edges of her eyes. 

She held them off until they filled her vision and the ragged breaths took over. Grief drug her to the ground and she cried for her daughter that she had hoped would shared her curse. Hesitant hands settled on her arms and she was surprised to see that Orochimaru had kneeled next to her.

She could barely enjoy his slightly panicked face through her teary eyes. 

“We will look for another way,” He decided. Her cries did not subside and he tried to give her an encouraging smile. It made him look like he wanted to steal her body. 

He doesn’t run away from her hug but he does feel some of his bones crack. 

(She had really hoped that Sarada would join them in accidental immortality.) 

X

Centuries pass and they live to witness shinobi fade from existence as new empires rose and fell. She cured enough people during the bubonic plague that a legend of a miracle bringing pink haired ghost pops up. Orochimaru laughs in the face of the hopeful villiger that recites it to him and she’s relieved when the legend starts to die. 

(Sakura can’t help herself during the Influenza outbreak and the legend is revived.) 

When the World Wars roll around she meditates in Tibet as she receives reports of the war efforts on both sides. In a grainy picture of a nuclear lab she swears the lanky man examining a missile is Orochimaru. 

She is centuries old and she is still amazed by the technology that continues to grow, although she still arbors guns. They bring up old deaths that were her worst. 

(A group of villagers armed with bayonets hunted and buried a witch in the forest. The next day she was pulling shrapnel out of her body.) 

(She was running between soldiers when a gatling gun mowed down the battalion. A couple hours later she pushed the bodies off of her and ran to the next town to take a bath.) 

(She tended to the sick and elderly in a small jungle village. Soldiers stormed through the houses with bullets and sneers. An hour later she woke up and buried the bodies properly.) 

During one of the few times that they purposefully sought each other out, Orochimaru had the nerve to show off his gun collection.

X

She was elbow deep in a kid’s chest when a familiar bird landed on her shoulder. Kid being a relative term, he was probably in his early 30’s. 

“Tell her I’m sorry that she had to put up with this,” he was rambling, nearly incoherent as blood gushed from his wounds. “And that I love her. So much-” 

“Shut up.” Sakura snapped. “You’re not going to die.”

Because really, if she couldn’t heal some bullet wounds and a stab wound after a couple centuries, she didn’t deserve Tsunade’s teachings. 

Instead of mindless rambling, he had taken to watch her face intently, first in surprise then in wonder as his wounds knit back together. It grew tenfold as his labored breathing evened out. She was tempted to tell him to stop staring but his wide dark eyes gave her the right amount of nostalgia. 

The dark alleyway was only illuminated by her glowing green chakra and as his wounds disappeared, she took in his ridiculous, shredded orange and red costume. It even had a cape. One of the newly promoted heros then. Fools, depending on who you asked. 

Once she removed her hands he patted himself down in disbelief. He moved to stand quickly but she pushed him to stay down. 

“You lost a lot of blood,” She patronized. “So take it easy and try to go to the hospital soon” 

“Thank you!” He exclaimed. He stared at his bare torso in amazement. “With your Quirk you would be an amazing-”

When he looked back to his savior, the alleyway was empty. 

X

Chicago lit up during the night and the streets flooded with people eager to enjoy the weekend. With all of the noise and activity she was still stunned at how empty everything managed to feel without chakra. Ever since the reign of shinobi ended, the presence of chakra had been declining throughout the centuries. 

Within her apartment she packed quickly, just enough for a couple days. The message from Orochimaru stated an emergency and that alone brought a flash of fear through her chest. It was almost foreign to her. 

In ten minutes, everything of any worth and lethality was packed away into scrolls and her bag. Her apartment was sparse when she left in a burst of chakra. New York’s skyline shone in the night, Big Ben stood out in London’s backdrop, the deserts of Egypt warmed her skin, the jungles of Vietnam cooled her, and the bustling noise of Tokyo surrounded her. 

The effect was immediate, and she her shoulders dropped from the amount of effort it took to keep her standing. Her apartment in Chicago was replaced with a cluttered and cramp room, overlooking Tokyo. Weapons and scrolls lined the walls as various tables were piled with books. A thin layer of dust covered everything.

She slid into a nearby chair to reread Orochimaru’s message. Old parchment crinkled underneath her fingers. 

_Emergency. Japan, section 5. Seal information. -O_

He had a lead on her seal and that alone reenergized her. She slipped into the streets with a smile, and it slid off quickly as she passed a shop owner haggling for lower protection fees. The three thugs that surrounded him flashed their quirks dangerously and she slipped by unnoticed. Japan had been slower to adopt to the hero structure. 

Orochimaru wanted to meet in his lab, but the moment she entered, something felt distinctly wrong. His lab, initially set with tables of computers and scrolls, also had multiple glass tanks filled with murky green liquid. 

“Orochimaru,” She called out. One hand had already formed half a seal before she flinched from the heavy killing intent that filled the room. 

It was centuries ago but she couldn’t help but feel the trembling kuni in her grasp and the cool forest air against her sweating skin. The memory was fleeting, but it was all he needed. Needles dug into her back. 

“A direct battle wouldn’t do here.” The floor scraped against her cheek as she tried to push herself back to her feet. The poison attacked her body perfectly; she lost control first. The chakra that had meant to cleanse the poison severed some spinal ligaments and she lost feelings in parts of her legs.

She felt her heart slow, gradually over the seconds, before it was barely beating in a state of almost living. Her limbs were lead and complete panic almost took her over- she was dumped into a tank. Her shallow breaths forced her to swallow the green liquid. 

The sensation of choking and breathing startled her and she felt her arm punch uselessly against the glass, moving slowly through the thick, green slime. A well dressed man stepped up to her tank and his single earring swayed as he tilted his head at her. 

Within the glass tank, her own betrayed face reflected back on her. She pounded uselessly at the glass as Orochimaru looked on with a new face. “This is for the greater good Sakura.” 

Her world disappeared. 

X

She woke to gravel digging into her wet clothes and unprotected skin. Her hands pushed her unsteadily to her feet. The flashes of memories cut deeper than the jagged ground on her bare feet. 

_He drugged her. He put her into one of his tanks._ She could barely breathe through the bubbling sob. Hot tears cut through the cooling water that ran from her hair. 

_He experimented on her._ The memory nearly brought her to her knees in disbelief and betrayal. Her body shook from the effort it took to keep her up. Not just from her mental state, she noted. Her limbs were thin and her clothes hung from her frame. 

Atrophy, she detachfully observed. At least a year of disuse. At least a year of capture. 

She could afford to die again. Her body would recover and her mind would follow eventually. The weight of betrayal would fall after time. She could sink here and die and plot how to kill- 

His chakra spiked, and in a world of nothing it was a beacon of light that sunk his blade of betrayal deeper into her chest. For the first time, she looked up from the ground and past the painful haze of memories to see a razed city and two lone figures. 

“Are you sure you want to dodge it?” The suited man asked the blonde, hand raised. The same voice from before. 

_“This is for the greater good Sakura.”_

The Byakugo covered her body instantly, rebuilding muscle and clearing the lingering drugs from her system. Her hands clenched into fists and the ground splintered as she took a step forward. 

“Orochimaru!” She raged. Killing intent poured from her and she saw him flinch from the change of pressure. A small man that was dashing towards Orochimaru tumbled to the ground. The blonde fell to his knees. 

He turned his hand towards her and let out a blast of energy. She cut through it with a single punch. 

“I thought we were friends!” The betrayal in her voice rang clear. She threw herself at him with a roar, appearing in front of him instantly, fist raised. He narrowly dodged her fist and the ground erupted where he stood, tossing building sized debris in the air. He leaped backwards and floated through the air to avoid it. 

“How annoying.” She barely heard him before he let out a tremendous outwards force that pushed the debris away. It was a pale imitation of Pein’s ability and she was able to hold her ground easily. His arm grew into a grotesque monstrosity as he regarded her from the air. 

“Why,” She demanded.

He chuckled. “Did you think we could have continued as we were; hiding in an evolving society? In a couple centuries this world will be brought back into power, and this time it might not be something just we can control.” 

He spread his arms outwards, “Guiding the world away from destruction from the shadows. A thankless job and the greatest-“

A car sized concrete slab nearly took him out of the sky. An irate Sakura waved her fist.

“I didn’t ask what your goals for the century was, I want to know why the hell you decided experimenting on me was a good idea.” Chakra sparked around her waving fist. 

“For the greater good, Sakara-chan,” He repeated slowly. “Power like us doesn’t exist yet. But it can, with our help.”

“When have you ever cared about the greater good!” Her hands flew through seals and slammed down into the ground, _Earth Release: Devouring Earth!_

Monstrous spikes rose from the ground under Orochimaru’s floating figure and he danced around the forming spikes. The three spikes surrounding him began to move, splitting in half to reveal jaws lined with sharpened teeth. He blew them back with another burst of pressurized wind and shattered two with a swing of his grotesque arm, but he couldn’t avoid the third as it devoured him whole. 

There was a moment of silence before cracks began to form across the spike that devoured Orochimaru. The spike exploded outwards and as the dust cleared, she could see him floating above the destroyed spike. 

“I’m preparing us for the future.” She couldn’t see his eyes but she could feel them burning into her own. “These quirks are limited but they’ve shown me a future worth trying to change. We will need more than just us.” 

She dropped into a crouch, channeling chakra into her legs, ready to leap back into battle. “There is no ‘us’. That stopped the moment you decided to experiment on me.” 

They both dashed towards each other, fists raised. The impact created gales of wind and destroyed more of the surrounding buildings. Sakura’s eyes narrowed as she felt the force against her fist double. 

“Shannaro!” Her cry drowned out his breath of surprise as he was shot into the sky. His speeding figure sent shockwaves as he passed a cloud. 

She shushined to him before he got too far. His grotesque arm flapped uselessly as he tried to block her fist to his face. With a satisfying crunch he was sent back to the ground. From the air she could see his figure sprawled in a deep crater. 

To be sure he was incapacitated, she aimed to land directly onto his chest. With heavy, chakra enforced legs she buried him a little further into the crater. He was barely breathing and his chest was bent at a slightly odd angle, but he would live. They always did. 

As she gazed down on him, his uncovered face gave her a pause. His face was scarred extensively above his mouth and it looked like his eyes had been gouged out and burned over. She felt little pity. 

She crouched down closer to his face and tapped his scarred forehead with a pulse of chakra. “Wouldn’t want you to wake up before I’ve got you contained.” Satisfied that he was in a deep coma, she drapped him over his shoulder. His shoes scraped the ground. 

She was hesitant to use the Hiraishin, she didn’t know the state of anything right now and she wasn’t even sure how long she had been in captivity. Almost resigned to the fact that she may have to make the trip to somewhere safe on foot, she hopped to the top of the crater. 

Before she could take another step forward, a wave of fire sped towards her. With a sweep of her hand, it was blown away. A hulking man covered in flames watched her warily. The three others around him were also tense, although the blond skeleton took a step forward.

“Thank you for your help, but we cannot allow you to take him.” She barely caught his meaning, as her ears adjusted to japanese. His words were stronger than his frame and she could not shake the feeling that he was familiar. 

She looked at their colorful and themed costumes and could not recognize any of them. In fact, she didn’t recognize any of the heros even at the edges of the scene. There weren’t that many to begin with and she couldn’t image so many being promoted in a small amount of time. 

A small part of her wished Orochimaru were conscious again so she could beat him over the head. 

“I don’t think you understand,” She tried, her modern japanese was rusty. “He’s better off with me.” She doubted they had the means to contain Orochimaru if he really wanted to get out.

They don’t look reassured. She let out a sigh and ignored the deep ache spreading her body. “Look, this asshole,” She shook the man on her shoulder. “Captured and probably experimented on me for a while, so I won’t be looking to free him when he wakes up.” 

They seemed to finally take in her attire, but the skeleton didn’t back down. He shook his head. “He stays with us.” 

His eyes glowed blue and she quirked an eyebrow at him. She leapt away, weaving hand signs with her free hand but had to stop midway as she twisted in the air. The smallest man in yellow raced towards her. She kicked him past her, careful to not break anything. 

“Gran Torino!” The skeleton yelled.

A thin thread followed closely behind and she jerked her head away. A ninja themed hero looked back at her and once again turned into attacking threads. She deftly avoided the strands and waited until he started to reform to shushin in front of him and deliver a blow to the head. He dropped to the ground. 

A wall of flame separated them and her eyes were drawn to the fire hero. Before he could fire his next attack she had finished her hand seals. _Water Release: Wild Water Wave!_ A torrent of water spewed from her mouth and overtook the hero and extinguished his flames. His eyes widened when she appeared in front of him in an instant. 

She took a step back to dodge an unnaturally large fist from the skeleton man. His swing didn’t connect to anything but it displaced the wind and blew her long hair into her face. With the power he displayed, she let her fist lose.

His forearms come up in an attempt to block her blow, but he was too slow. Desperation crept into his eyes and she felt the skeleton build an endless amount of chakra into his form. Seamlessly he transformed into a hulking blond and her fist stopped centimeters from his face. 

His chakra felt like home- it felt like Sarada, Tsunade, and Naruto were standing in front of her. The Byakugo retreated back to its seal slowly and her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Sarada?”

X

All Might was wary of the pink haired woman who casually emerged from the crater with All for One slung over her shoulder. She looked annoyed at them but she did not look winded at all. Barring the state of her clothes and dirt, she could have just came from a walk in the park. 

And in a flash, she had taken down three top heros. 

He was barely able to stop her from continuing on Endevour and in a blink of an eye she was on him, her fist traveling too fast and excluding pure power. Instinctively, the last embers of One for All transformed him to give him a chance to withstand the attack. 

As fast as it started, her fist stopped centimeters from his face. The force from the punch blew against him violently as he dug his legs in to stay in place. The sound of collapsing buildings sounded behind him. 

“Sarada?” Her gentle voice startled him and her glazed, emerald eyes bore into him. The thick, crisscrossing lines on her face were slowly retreating to her forehead where a purple rhombus appeared. 

He held his breath as she opened her hand and reached out for his cheek. Steam had already started to come off of him as he strained to maintain his form. Her hand glowed green and warmed his skin. 

“You’re hurt.” Small tears escaped and suddenly the thick lines across her body returned. Her hand burned on his cheek but he couldn’t pull away. It felt like One for All was being poured back into him and his breathing seemed to come easier as he gasped in surprise.

“All Might!” He heard Grand Torino yell. 

Their connection was severed as Gran Torino kicked her away. All for One tumbled from her shoulder and she caught herself in mid air to land gracefully on the ground. She glanced at All for One, guarded by Gran Torino and Endevour, and her eyes fell on All Might. Her eyes were dry. 

“How troublesome,” She sighed and _melted_ into the ground. 

The heros were tense but as the minutes passed, All Might clenched his fists. The effort to maintain his form had disappeared, but as he stood over All for One, he did not feel victorious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aftermath (now heavily edited)

They half dragged and half carried Ilda as they ran. His reciptro burst set up the rescue perfectly, but he still couldn’t move for another two minutes. 

“I apologize!” Ilda repeated after another minute of silence. Their breathes echoed against the empty streets and were occasionally drowned out by the explosions behind them. They did not turn around. 

“Shut up glasses! Just be fucking lighter!” Bakugo barked. Izuku couldn’t help but notice his eyes shifted wildly between the empty alleys they passed. When Ilda could finally move again, they ran until they heard frantic crowds and police yelling instructions over megaphones. The four boys spilled into the crowd eagerly and Ilda doubled over in relief. 

“The rescue’s a success!” Kirishima exclaimed. Bakugo glared immediately. 

“I didn’t get rescued, got it?” He hissed. “You fuckers were just the best escape route out of here!” 

Kirishima gave him a thumbs up and a smile. “Can’t argue with that.” 

Bakugo’s anger drained slightly as he looked complementive. “I just didn’t wanna be in All Might’s way.” 

And despite how much Izuku wanted to run back towards the smoking mess they had just escaped from, he was right. In the face of All for One, this was all they could do - get out of sight and out of danger. Now that they were out of the way and Gran Torino was with All Might, they could only hope. 

The buzz of newscopters overhead brought him out of his thoughts. They streaked towards the burning mess in the distance and the TV screens in the square flashed on. It opened to a razed city covered with smoke and burning buildings. 

“I can’t believe it! A single villain destroyed the city! A single villain is proving more than a match for All Might’s power!” The voice was fuzzy as the camera scrambled find to the villain and All Might. The smoke was thick and Izuku could only watch in rapt attention with the rest of the square. 

The smoke cleared in a bright burst of energy that revealed an emaciated All Might to the world. 

Cold sweat traveled down his forehead. “But that’s… still secret,” Izuku whispered to himself. His face grew slack and his breathing became labored as the people around him fell into confusion. Izuku could barely hold back the tears building up at the corner of his eyes. Some people turned away from the screens, unable to witness the greatest Hero become anything less. 

“He _always_ comes and saves the day somehow!” It cut through the despaired cries and started the floodgates. Izuku looked around wildly as more enthused bystanders cheered on All Might. He couldn’t hold back the tears as he joined them. 

“Win the day All Might!” He screamed with all of his heart, hoping that All Might could feel their cries. His ears ringed as everyone in the square yelled at the screen. 

On the screen, All Might’s head rose and his right arm gained bulk. The crowd screamed as if they were powering him. His glowing blue eyes filled the screen and widened. _They were terrified._

All Might deflated and dropped to his knees. A sickening cold crawled underneath Izuku’s skin and for a second time that night he couldn’t move. People fell to the ground and the square was still. Izuku couldn’t look away from the screen; the camera was barely able to swivl to All for One who let out another life ending blast. It raced away from All Might and towards a woman.

She punched through the it cleanly and disappeared from the screen. The camera caught the ground erupting under her fist as All for One floated away. She fought All for One with ease and too many quirks; Izuku’s instinctive analysis was too numbed by the receding cold in his veins to even begin his mumbling. When All Might finally stood over All for One, it was plain to see that it was not in victory. 

X

Hoki Taketori, also known as the Armored Hero Yoroi Musha, currently slated to be ranked number nine, was in his agency near Tokyo when All Might’s true form was revealed. His sidekicks and office personnel crowded the TV and of course the villain monologues, and of course the camera catches sight of the endangered civilian- and of course All Might stands his ground to protect her. The room was silent when the smoke cleared to reveal a gaunt man drowning in All Might’s costume. 

He felt the hope being sucked out of the room and even within his own agency, he felt helpless. Decades as a Pro-Hero had taught him to recognize the sound of crumbling peace. 

But before anybody could utter a word of confusion, All Might fell to his knees and the villian let off another explosion to his left. The camera was barely able to pan over to its target -a woman- and the world sees her punch through the blast cleanly. 

There was a crazed look in her green eyes which matched her crumpled and dirty clothes. The shock was palpable as she tossed around the villain that was on par with All Might. 

“I think I need to sit down.” One of his office aids was led to a chair. Beneath his helmet, his eyebrows were in a state of perpetual shock. The multitude and power of quirks she was showing should not be allowed. 

Between the distance from the camera and her quick movements, he didn’t notice the pink hair and purple diamond on her forehead until she was standing in front of All Might. 

The Armored Hero Yoroi Musha, one of the oldest Pro-Heros still in the game, sat down heavily when he realized his family’s protective spirit was on TV. 

X

_Sakura_ , his father had called her and led him to a cabinet with a preserved, sketched picture of the spirit along with a potted cherry blossom tree that never needed watering. When Hoki Taketori first saw the picture as a child, he had a small crush on the pretty pink-haired woman with a purple diamond on her forehead. When he first asked his father about the wilting tree, he learned that it wilted while his great-grandfather was a child, but never completely died; it also never recovered. 

Sakura, his father had explained, was their family’s secret. She was a spirit that protected his family from generation to generation, coming to their aid in great need. She first appeared to his great, great-grandfather, who had a family to protect but no means by which to protect them. She taught him and gifted him a tanto. 

When Hoki Taketori became the Pro-Hero Yoroi Musha, the tanto remained on his belt of swords at all times. Throughout the years he had switched up his other worn blades but the tanto never needed sharpening. His fans liked to speculate that the old tanto was a homage to the original samurai. 

Then one day he was directing a group of civilians away from a battle scene when the villain decided to blow up the building next to them. Large debris began to streak towards the civilians and he had a second of thought- he could grab the child closest to him but he couldn’t save them all. 

His reaction quirk took over and reached for the tanto that he never considered more than a symbol. It pulsed in his hand as he sliced through the slabs of concrete like they were paper. The tanto glowed white and left a fading, white trail in its wake. He was exhausted afterwards, but the beaming smiles were worth it. 

His fans had nicknamed the blade White Fang. 

Yoroi Musha thanked the faded sketch profusely when he got home and took extra care to trim the deadest branches from the wilted cherry blossom tree. 

Now, after a long night of phone calls and coordination efforts, he stood in front of the cabinet and watched one cherry blossom bloom on the wilting tree. 

Less than twenty-four hours after the incident and he can already picture the mountains of paperwork and multiple late nights that will be spent trying to figure out what happened that night. For all the good that Sakura brought to his family, it looked like he was going to start paying it back.

X 

When they cleaned off the blood, the doctors were perplexed. Toshinori’s arms were unblemished and the gash on his head that bled profusely on national television had disappeared. Despite his assurances that he was miraculously uninjured, he found himself checked into a hospital room overnight. 

“The Symbol of Peace is dead.” He told Naomasa and Gran Torino. The world had seen his emasculated state and he could not protect everybody to the extent that the Number One Hero should. 

His bed groaned under his sudden transformation and Naomasa stood in surprise. Toshinori stared intently at his muscled hands. He did not feel any of the familiar strain. “But the dying embers within me have strengthened. I’ve still got things I need to do. I need to find Shigaraki and I need to find that woman-” 

“No,” Gran Torino stared him down. “What would you do once you found them? She took us all down and somehow did something to you. From here on out, me and Tsukauchi will be searching for them.” 

Toshinori looked ready to argue. “You do the things you’ve still got to do over at UA. After all, the Symbol of Peace may be no more but All Might is still around.”

All Might with not enough power to fight, but enough to train Young Midoriya. Later, long after Naomasa and Gran Torino left and darkness fell over the city, he sent a text. Quietly he snuck out of the hospital and followed the familiar path to Dagobah Beach.

The stars blinked lazily above the gentle waves. “He really did a good job,” He said to himself as he admired the view. 

Gran Torino had complained that Midoriya was too much like him. Too reckless, too willing to disobey orders. Too much heart. He was willing to sacrifice limbs and every broken bone was like a stab to his heart. One for All was destroying Midoriya and it was finally time for him to intervene. 

“All Might!” Midoriya called out. 

“Oh, you’re here! You’re late kid!” Toshinori called out as he ran to meet Midoriya half way. He cocked his fist back. “Texas-” 

“All Might!” Midoriya called out again, relief and panic settling over his face. Toshinori almost felt bad, but his fist was already traveling. 

“SMASH!” 

Midoriya fell to the ground. “You really never just do as you’re told, do you? Midoriya, my boy,” Midoriya rubbed his face and his eyes were cast downwards. “I’m all but retired. The embers of One for All inside of me are there but… I can’t maintain my muscle form for very long and my strength isn’t what it used to be.”

“And yet time after time, you fly into the thick of things no matter how many times you’re told not to! And no matter how many times you’re told not to, you keep wrecking your own body!” Toshinori scolded, then his voice softened “And this time, you made it out of danger without hurting yourself. That makes me so happy.” 

Toshinori pulled him close. “From this point forward, I dedicate myself to your education. Let’s do our best, the both of us.” 

X

Sakura emerged from the ground hand first and pulled herself up slowly. The trees swayed in the gentle breeze and she leaned heavily on one. Her breathes were short and her hands trembled against the bark. 

Tears pooled at the edge of her eyes. She did not let them fall. Instead, she sunk to the ground and folded her legs over themselves. Shakily her hands formed the shape of a diamond. Her mind stormed beneath the surface, familiar doubts threatening to come to the surface. 

_You always knew he couldn’t be trusted._ A soft voice, whispered to her. _He played nice the last couple hundreds of years to set you up. At least Sasuke won against him-_

But she’s centuries years old so she just takes a deep breath and drowns her doubt under the cool air that brushes her skin with the rustle of leaves and the loudening buzz of the evening bugs. 

Her breathing deepened until she felt herself fall away from the rocks poking into her legs. The fatigue in her bones melted away and she reached inwards to examine her chakra. It always felt like wet grass after a rainstorm, cool and soft to the touch. 

She hissed and nearly recoiled when it is too crisp and too dry. With no adrenaline, she can feel the sting of her own chakra as she forced it to move. 

“Well shit.” Her chakra coils were worn and would need at least a couple days to recover. In her darker moments, she would have tried to burn her coils to a crisp, chasing down the rogue idea that her chakra fueled her immortality. But while she was alone, she was not empty. Vengeance filled her and she would be the last standing immortal on the earth before she would also disappear. 

X

The government contacts her two days after the Kimino Ward incident. She is brought deep into the Tartarus with heavily armed guards.

“We can’t wake him,” the doctor explained to Recovery girl. All for One was strapped securely on a gurney. His deformed chest rose slightly with each breath and his heart monitor sounded periodically. The list of cocktails they administered to wake him was long, and included everything she would’ve tired. 

She balked at using her quirk on someone who caused Toshinori so much pain but bowed to the unspoken request. His chest reformed and the seconds passed. When her quirk failed to wake him and the tests showed nothing of value, she was intrigued. 

“Do you have any theories on this?” She asked. 

The doctor was hesitant. “We believe the woman at the Kimino Ward did something. The one with pink hair.” 

“That was a unique color,” She agreed.

Time passed and All for One does not stirr in his cell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once a hero, sometimes a hero. (Reccomend rereading chapter 2 with new edits and additions)

Sakura stood in a small room in Tokyo, full of empty desks and a thin layer of dust. The faint stench of reptile was stale in the enclosed space. 

“Damn snakes,” She mumbled to herself. She pulled her hoodie further down as she escaped back into the streets. The few niches that she had in Tokyo were cleaned out and she had to resort to stealing street clothes from the closest store. 

The plain hoodie covered her pink hair and the purple diamond on her forehead was barely covered by a thin layer of mismatched foundation. Her jeans and white shoes further distanced her from the images that were constantly being shown on the news cycle- a vicious pink haired monster in tattered black long sleeves and pants. Probably from Orochimaru. 

She needed a place to stay and she vaguely recalled that the Taketori residence should be somewhere on the edge of Tokyo, maybe an hour run from where she was. Better yet, she’s sure that the Harashin seal on their kanta should still work. It was one of her more durable ones, she was fond of them after all. (They looked like Kakashi with their silver hair and dark eyes. She can’t recall him ever having kids though.)

Her trip was slow, hindered by roads that did not go where she remembered they went and by buildings that should not have been in her way. If it weren’t for the information she was gathering on her detour, she would have opted to travel by roof. 

“Did you see what All Might really looks like? Can you believe that he’s been lying to us for so long!” 

“He might look like death, but he’s still All Might, right?”

“He can’t protect us anymore, hell, maybe none of the Heros can protect us. They were useless against that villain and that pink haired woman.” 

“No, we can’t say these things. We need to keep the faith-” 

Everyone was talkative and All Might seemed to be the hot topic next to the mysterious pink haired lady. The hulking blond ( _who felt like home_ ) seemed to be their unfailable protector. The peoples’ sole hope. To place that burden on one person’s shoulders was dangerous and her old teammates flashed in her eyes. She blinked them away quickly. 

Nearly halfway there, she had stopped to watch the replay of her fight with amusement as others crowded a TV on display. She would have to get a copy of it to keep forever. 

“If you see this woman, or have any information on her whereabouts please contact the nearest hero agency!” The newscaster reminded his audience. “And if you see her, do not try to be a hero. Run to safety!” 

“She might be stronger than All Might,” The man next to her said. 

“She’s definitely stronger than All Might! Did you see how easily she took that blast? Meanwhile, our Symbol of Peace literally turned into a skeleton,” Another argued. 

“He’s still the Symbol of Peace and we don’t even know if the woman is a hero! Has anyone ever even seen her before?” 

“She has to be a hero, she stopped the villain that was going to kill All Might.” 

“She also attacked the Pro-Heros on the scene…” 

“Well, she didn’t look like she was in great shape, maybe she was confused?” 

Sakura drowned out the brewing argument of the people surrounding her and rewatched Orochimaru get pummeled into the ground. Her fist itched to do it again. 

“Wow,” A child whispered beside her. A horn poked out from the corner of her forehead and her bright, red eyes were wide with amazement. 

_Sarada, barely into the academy, watched with wide eyes as her mother destroyed the training grounds with her bare hands. A tree splintered apart with a flick of her mother’s finger and Sarada let out a shout of excitement._

__

_“Will you teach me Mama!”_

__

_She smiled, “Of course. But first, you learn to dodge.” Sarada shouted as she threw herself away from a large rock. It was much more fun to be throwing than dodging._

Sakura blinked the memory away. Her jaw clenched. She was becoming too nostalgic in her old age, but she couldn’t look away from the child. Her eyes lingered too long and those bright, red eyes snapped to her. Sakura gave the girl a sweeping glance as the girl did the same to her. 

Bluish white hair cascaded down her shoulders and contrasted fiercely against her dirty dress. The dress was worn beyond the explanation of rough playing and badly needed a wash. Her skinny arms and legs were covered in bandages that looked professionally wrapped. She had no shoes, and her toes were almost blue in the cold, night air. 

Recognition lit the child’s eyes as she caught sight of pink hair beneath Sakura’s hood. The girl’s eyes flickered away when the child jumped violently at the hand that appeared at her shoulder. Too violently to have been caused by suprise. Sakura’s suspicions were confirmed when the girl seemed to further flinch away and then hunched forward when she could not escape. The man’s grip tightened. 

His beak mask was unusual but not conspicuous in a crowd that contained a few animal heads and features. His gloved hand tugged on the girl’s shoulder. The girl met her eyes one last time and a flicker of hope shined through those bright, red eyes. It disappeared as she was turned away from the crowd but Sakura has seen it enough to recognize it clearly: _please save me._

She walked away from it before when immortality has weighed too heavily on her and the realization that acts of heroics do nothing to the overall tempo of history. Cruelty endures as much as time and Sakura has never won against the endless clock of time. 

But this was not time where she walked away and she damned Orochimaru for her bout of nostalgia as she carefully watched the pair exit the crowd. She couldn’t use chakra, but sneaking was second nature to a centuries old shinobi. Her silent footsteps were habit and she became their shadow as they ducked between alleys and turns. The girl stuck by the man silently, head down, as his hand hovered at her shoulder. 

The crowded and small alleys of the city widened into larger neighborhoods. People dotted the sidewalks, nervously talking to neighbors. Sakura walked closely along the darker shadows, weaving along the edge of houses and between streets. She caught glimpses the pair approaching a private home, blocked by high walls along the property. From around the corner, she watched as they quickly disappeared behind the front gate. 

With a running start, she vaulted herself over the wall and rolled behind a large, protruding rock. The yard was neatly kept, with an even amount of trees and rocks to decorate it. The girl disappeared behind the large double doors of the front building. 

“Did you hear that?” One of the two men in the courtyard asked the other. 

His companion lit another cigarette, illuminating his face clearly, a nondescript man with a slight scar over his left eye and large forehead. “It’s probably the wind. Makes a lot of noise with all the trees.” 

The other man hummed but looked around cautiously. “Didn’t your girl want you to stop smoking?” 

He huffed and watched the smoke fade into the darkness. “Eri escaped again. That was Kaito’s last chance.” 

The other man did not reply and they both watched the smoke fade. Silently, Sakura crept towards the door, and it was mercifully unlocked. The inside was silent. Admittedly it was a beautiful house lined with traditional flooring and the occasional, tasteful wall decoration. 

As she trekked deeper into the house, Sakura noticed that everything was oddly untouched. It looked more like a model house than a place that someone actually lived in. The floor was also incredibly clean deeper into the house, which contrasted against the floor of the room she had first entered. She backtracked. 

The entrance floor was worn and so was half of the hallway, there were smaller scruffs that weren’t noticeable but also weren’t present anywhere else in the house. The trail ended near a shelf with a vase of dying flowers and the tile underneath it; the tile was slightly crooked. Curiously she lifted them both. The wooden tiles underneath sunk when she touched them. 

The problem was now that _a lot_ of them appeared to be buttons and as she pressed more of them, it appeared that she would need an order to open them. Her brows drew together in frustration. She could sit there and work through the possible combinations or she could try to pry apart the apparent secret passage. 

She crouched in front of the vase to take a moment to decide and was barely able to smother her shocked cry as the wall retracted on its own. Sakura sprinted around the corner, deeper into the house, in time to avoid being seen by two men walking out. She was barely able to slip into the sliding door behind them as it closed on its own. 

She descended the stairwell slowly. Everything was going too well, and Sakura was understandably tense. Team 7 as a whole was not lucky and even as the last standing member, that bad luck persevered with her. The feeling only heightened when she found herself in an underground maze with tiny, dirty footprints to follow. 

It was too easy to catch up. From behind the corner, she saw the pair who had been joined by two men, one that looked like a teenager underneath an outrageous bird mask.

The kid looked frantic. “I’m sorry Capo! She might’ve pulled another runner on me but I swear I know now-” 

Bird beak man peered down at the girl and ignored the kid. “Why did you run? Are you unhappy? Did Kaito not get you the candy you wanted?”

When she didn’t respond, he sighed and signaled the other unmasked goon to pick her up. Bird beak man reached out to the kid and- Sakura’s eyes widened. The kid was gone, replaced by a grotesque splattering of blood on the wall. 

“Get someone to clean that up,” Bird beak man ordered and he regarded the girl closely. Her eyes were wide with unshed tears. “He would’ve been alive if you didn’t run. You understand that?” 

Sakura could barely see the girl give a small shake of her head. Satisfied, bird beak man gestured for the man holding her to lock her into a room. As the door was secured, bird beak man walked off. “Find me a new person as Eri’s caretaker.” He ordered without looking back. In a moment, he left too. 

Warily, Sakura counted the seconds and approached the door. It was a simple lock, that only locked from one side. She cracked the door open. The girl did not look up from her hunched over position on the large bed. Around her was a child’s room with brightly colored furniture and toys covering the floor, but it did not have the same warmth. 

Stepping inside, Sakura slowly made her way to the bed. “Eri?” She tried. The girl started to tremble as small tears wet her sheets. She didn’t make a noise. “Eri?” Sakura was closer now, nearly sitting on the bed, when the girl finally looked at her. 

Disbelief was at the forefront of her face, covering a myriad of expressions of which Sakura could see fear, resignation, and hopelessness. Next to the raging fire within her burning for vengeance, an old fire sparked. The warm need to protect burned her last vestiges of apathy for the girl. Her resolve strengthened tenfold as she made a silent promise to take the girl away and burn this place to the ground. 

“My name is Sakura,” Her voice was soft as she gently took one of the girl’s hands. “I’ve come to take you away from here.” 

“You- you’re real,” Eri breathed quietly. Sakura wiped away her tears and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“We need to leave now if you want to leave,” The mention of leaving snapped the girl back into a panic. 

“I can’t.” Sakura could barely hear her. “Kaito-kun was fun and now it’s my fault he’s-” 

“Mmmphh.” Eri’s words were effectively smoldered by Sakura’s hand. Her face scrunched up in confusion and it was adorable. 

“First, we are going to have a long talk about who’s fault it is and probably about what exactly all of this is,” Sakura’s unoccupied hand swept around. “But for now, just trust me that it isn’t your fault.” 

“Hummph huphh oohh,” Eri looked at her sadly and Sakura gave her a feral grin in response. 

“He won’t be able to touch me.” Her voice was confident and seemed to fool Eri who gave her another shot of hope filled eyes. “Ready to go?” 

Eri nodded. Sakura took her by the hand and ran. 

X

“Eri-chan, I have your favorite.” A man with a long white raincoat and black plague mask opened the door. His hood covered his hair and he held a candied apple in his hand. 

There was no response. He stepped further into the room and cursed. “Damnit Eri, not again.” 

X

Sakura patiently looked down at Eri who nervously twisted her hands together. “You’re sure it was this way?” 

Eri nodded. Sakura contemplated the dead end, stone wall in front of them. Using the same escape route that she had used earlier today seemed like the best bet. It was unexpected and easy enough that Eri could sneak through by herself, but the girl kept running them into dead ends. This was the type of luck she was used to and she gave Eri a reassuring smile. “We’ll double back a little and then pick a new hallway.” 

Eri nodded again and looked around nervously as they retraced their steps. “The hallways change sometimes.” 

Sakura’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean they-” 

Right on time the floor rippled beneath them and the walls warped around them. A giant hole appeared beneath them, but Sakura had already scooped up Eri and jumped towards stable ground. She ran through the hallways, haphazardly choosing a direction and dodging holes in the ground. Abandoning a stealthy escape, Sakura ran towards the secret entrance.

Instead of a hole on the ground, a hole in the wall opened up and Sakura jumped backwards to avoid a man covered in crystals. His fist impacted loudly against the stone hallway. 

From behind him, another man charged her with a sword. She easily weaved between his swipes and kicked him away. His sword twirled in the air and she grabbed it to bring it down brutally on the crystal man. He raised his forearms, armed with crystals, to block the blow and a chunk fell off. 

Before she could strike again, the sword disappeared from her hand. Her momentary shock gave him an opening. Her head snapped back at the blow and she tightened her grip on Eri as she recovered in the air to land on her feet. 

“Eri, you know how this is going to end,” The sword man said. His bird beak mask covered the bottom half of his face and was much less ornate than the first bird mask she saw. 

Sakura glared at the pair and smiled viciously when they finally recognized her pink hair. “It was too good to be true, a secret bad guy base without bad guys to fight.” 

The men gave each other a look and she caught the glint of metal flicker dangerously behind them. She threw herself to the side as the loud bang of a pistol echoed through the hallways. The bullet tanged loudly against the stone wall. 

“Capo’ll be here soon,” The third man said, covered in a white raincoat and a plague mask. 

It seemed to renew the other two and they charged. Sakura met them halfway, ducking under crystal man’s large swings and punching the sword man straight in the face. His head bounced against the wall behind him and he slumped to the ground. 

“Setsuno!” Crystal man yelled. Sword in hand, Sakura jumped back from his wild strikes and slid the blade through his chest, between the cracks of his growing crystals. 

The man in the raincoat aimed carefully. Sakura’s chakra burned painfully as she closed the distance with a shunshin. He barely let out a noise of surprise before she threw him forcefully into a wall. 

“You are even more impressive in person,” A man spoke and bird beak man stepped out from the shadows. His hands flexed at his sides and Sakura eyed him warily. “But I’m going to need her back.” 

Sakura shook her head and drew Eri closer to her chest. “Not a chance bird boy.” 

He was fast, she would give him that, but she was exponentially faster, even without chakra. He lunged forward with a large swiping motion and as she leaned just out of reach, she felt a foreign energy assault her sensorimotor system. Instead of recovering her balance, she fell down and sideways into the wall. Eri tumbled from her grasp.

She stumbled away from bird beak man’s hands and another masked bird man loomed over Eri. He grinned happily at Sakura as she struggled to stand. “Ha ha ha ha, not looking too steady there. Me too! Getting too close to me might get you drunk!” 

Bird beak man regarded her cooly, hands outstretched. “You know what happens next Eir.” 

“You should be worried about me bird boy.” Her chakra protested violently and seared along her skin as she forced it to disrupt the foreign energy. The rapid change from disoriented to unencumbered paired with the pain from using her chakra with her damaged chakra coils almost made her throw up. 

Nimbly she dodged bird beak man’s swipes and knocked him on his back with a swift right hook. She stepped over him to glare at the drunk man who stumbled backwards. “Chrono!” He called out and she flinched as an extended piece of hair shaped like a clock hand cut into her side. 

She felt her body slow as if a poison had entered her blood. Bird beak man clutched her leg. She was sure that she knocked him out. 

“All your efforts are worthless.” He growled and Sakura felt the cells in her leg being forced to seperate. She tried to jump out of his grasp, but she was too slow. 

Her leg was going to explode. She fell forward, desperately reaching out for Eri who looked on, terrified. “Eri!” 

By some miracle, she reached out too. Their fingertips were almost brushing when Sakura picked out the brightest and closest Harashin seal to their current location. 

The Byakugo covered her body instantly, to compensate for her abysmal chakra and the insides of her body felt like charr. With her enhanced strength she pulled her leg out of his grasp, curled her fingers around Eri’s, and pulled them towards the Harashin seal at the edges of Tokyo. 

But she didn’t account for another wave of disorientation that now had her falling sideways at just the right angle for Eri’s fingers to slip out of her grasp. 

Eri’s face, full of hope, burned into her eyes as she fell on top of a heavily armored man. Her arms were empty and her leg ached. The Byakugo sluggishly retreated back into its neat purple diamond. 

The armored man, dressed eerily close to the Land of Iron’s samurais, looked up at her in shock. The Taketori kanta hung from his waist. 

“Sakura?!” He sputtered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Yoroi Musha.

Yoroi Musha’s shoulders ached as he carefully removed his shoulder plates. His costume was more than aesthetic, contrary to some fan theories, and was made of the very best metals Hero money could buy. Apparently, best metals also meant _heavy as shit_ because in the past few years they’ve left his whole body sore. (His sidekicks had bets on when he would acknowledge that it was old age, but he knows it's because his armour is so heavy. It has to be.)    

Methodically, he turned over the shoulder plates in his hands, checking for damage or warping, and moved onto polishing it’s surfaces once it passed inspection. This was his nightly routine, slowly stripping away his armour to be inspected and then polished. With only the soft sounds of the wind and night, it was like meditation for him, except for those few nights that his thoughts overrode his peace.

Tonight his thoughts came in the form of the pink menace. Despite the fact that the fight had been televised and his information network, he could not find any information on the villain and all the papers covered was All Might’s shocking form. The deeper he dug, the more walls he ran into and the more people stopped talking.

It was a mystery he needed to solve if he wanted any hope in understanding why Sakura was there in the first place. He smoothed his hands over his helmet and carefully polished the creases.

As a hero, he was concerned about what she wanted and her blatant quirk use. As Hoki Taketori, he had questions that were more concerned about what she actually was. He heard a rumor that a special team of Heros collaborating with the police would be searching for the rest of the League of Villains and Sakura. Perhaps his agency could offer aid.

He let out a loud sigh and put down his helmet. He would inquire about the task force, but ultimately he needed to focus on maintaining the order around his city. The amount of paperwork piling in his agency was a testament to the rising crime and reported felonies since the Kamino incident.

Settled on his plan of action, he unlooped his chest armour, eager to remove the weight and blinked when he found himself on his back and a face full of pink hair. His back pressed uncomfortably against his loosened body armour and it didn’t help when the woman on top of him struggled to push herself upright.

“Sakura?!” He wheezed and he winced as he heard his own voice crack, because the protective spirit of his family literally fell into his lap _out of thin air_.

She looked as surprised as he was but her green eyes stared at him intensely. They looked exactly like the sketch. “Gin-kun?” Her voice was wobbly and hopeful.

“That’s- that’s my great, great grandfather.” Her mouth thinned in disappointment and he tensed; he was barely able to catch her reaching for the tanto still attached to his waist. His reaction quirk saved him and his hand clamped over hers, keeping his tanto in place. 

A cold sweat rolled down his face. She could flatten him in seconds if she wanted, but neither of them moved. His hands were trembling- no, _her hands were trembling_ and felt hot to the touch. She tipped to the side, eyes unfocused, and tumbled to the floor next to him. 

Her mumbling was nearly audible over the thudding heartbeat in his ears and out of the corner of his eyes he could see her mouth moving rapidly. He released her hand carefully and before it could plop down next to her, he had gained at least a couple feet of distance between them. 

He crouched, ready to spring into action, with his hand on the hilt of his tanto. “I don’t want to fight Sakura!” 

She mummered lowly, “Save… bird… kill.” Her words were nonsensical and steadily decreased in frequency until there was silence.

He approached slowly. It was the longest four steps of his life and he reached out with his free hand to her neck. There was barely a pulse.

“Shit.” He pressed down harder and lent down to listen to her almost non existent breathing. Frantically he felt along her body for injuries and stopped at her left pant leg that was soaked in blood. He quickly cut away the fabric to reveal a mangled leg. The muscle and tendons burst from the seams of her skin in patches, some of it sticking to the fabric of her jeans as he peeled it away.

As he used the fabric to create a makeshift tourniquet above her knee, he watched helplessly as her chest stopped moving. Reluctantly he felt for a pulse that was not there. 

He sat back on his heels. Carefully, he arranged her into a more natural position. She looked almost peaceful with her pink hair delicately framing her face. He would not have guessed she could level a city.

“I would’ve liked to know more about you, my father held a great amount of respect for you.” He said to the silence. “And I was curious. I didn’t know spirits could take physical forms, much less die.”

“I don’t know if anybody else knows about you but I will pray for you. The tanto that you’ve gifted my great, great grandfather has helped me save so many people. I’m still figuring it out, but it is worth it,” He admitted.   

He took a moment to watch her face and noticed a faint glow emanating from her forehead. A purple diamond shined underneath a layer of makeup which slowly burned away to reveal itself in its full glory. He blinked in disbelief as it continued to shine and her mangled leg mended itself until her skin was smooth and pink.

“I’m not a spirit.” He fell backwards in surprise but her grip on his chest plate kept him in place. Her emerald eyes were wide, starkly contrasting against her pale skin, and they flickered to the tanto at his side. “So you can use it?” Her voice sounded hopeful, as if it wasn’t already a miracle that she was alive again and that her mangled leg _healed before his eyes_.

He balanced precariously in her grip. “Your leg shouldn’t be able to- how are you alive!”

She pushed him backwards with enough strength to force him to flip over his shoulder and return to his crouched position.  

“It’s not polite to answer a question with a question.” His spare sword was unsheathed in her hands, the empty container still dangling at his side. “Come, and I might give you an answer.”

He palmed his tanto nervously. “I don’t want to fight Sakura! You shouldn’t be fighting, you’re supposed to be dead!”

His Hero experience was the only reason he was able to stop the first, wild blow. She was faster than he was which forced him onto the defensive. Cuts lined his bare shoulders as sweat dripped down his face. Sakura was relentless and he felt the familiar feeling of power being pulled towards his tanto.

He would have one chance. The moment their blades clashed, he pushed against hers harshly and met solid resistance. Their blades grated against each other and she watched him stoically, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.  

_“White Fang!”_ He called out his signature move, his blade glowed and cut through hers like butter. Surprise flitted through her face and her half blade clattered to the floor as she absently pressed against the large gash in her bicep.  

She smiled victoriously with all of her teeth and her eyes shined. “What year is it kid?”

He scowled, he was far from a child.  “2354,” He said. His arms felt like lead and the familiar, drained feeling had him struggling to stay alert.   

Neither of them moved, but he watched her closely, and she once she seemed satisfied she spoke.

“I’m only going to say my goals for the century once, so listen up. I’ve been in captivity for almost 150 years. I’ve been thoroughly experimented on and I want nothing more to end the man that did it to me. But first I need to find a girl.” She paused and her smile grew. “And train you properly.”  

“What?” His mind raced to connect the dots. “So the villain you attacked was the one who captured you? 150 years ago?” It was why they couldn’t find any information on her.

She hummed and wiped her eyes tiredly. “Not my proudest moment, but yes.”

“What’s your quirk? 150 years ago they were rare, especially such versatile and powerful quirks.” Impossible, he wanted to say, with the amount of abilities she showed (super strength, elemental manipulation, healing). Even in today’s society, with evolving and strengthening quirks, nothing compared to her prowess.

She gestured for him to come closer, and he stepped forward carefully, tanto still drawn. He flinched his head back, fast enough to leave her fingers hovering where his forehead was. He looked at her in confusion.

“I’ll tell you later Taketori-kun,” She pouted and turned towards the hallway. “After I sleep. I felt like I haven’t slept in a bed for centuries!”     

He sheathed his tanto and ran after her. “Wait, you’re bleeding. Shouldn’t you heal it?”

“It’s not that bad.”

He stared at the deep gash on her bicep. Blood dripped down her arm and onto the floor. His face tightened. “Well, it’s getting all over my floor. At least let me dress it for you. I have medical supplies in the kitchen.”

Thankfully she followed him to the kitchen and sat down on the offered chair. His arms still trembled as he looked for his medical kit. The little, shallow cuts on his shoulders stung but he barely noticed them over his bone tiredness that began to overtake him.

There was a reason he limited his use of _White Fang_ to once a day at most. It was too costly. He glanced at Sakura who watched him with an amused expression. He really wished he could just go to bed.

X

Sakura was brimming with emotions, but most of all she was amused as Taketori-kun carefully cleaned and wrapped her wound. He was methodical and his samurai themed armour paired with his swordsmanship meant he had to be a Hero, or at least a very dedicated hobbyist.  

In the end it didn’t matter because he could use _chakra_. With the exception of Orochimaru and herself, it had gone extinct with the last shinobi and samurai, and by the looks of Taketori-kun didn’t have a lot of it. That single burst of chakra had him looking like he was on the edge of chakra exhaustion.

She grinned to herself. She would teach him, she had decided and even gambled on him when she divulged some truths. It was a bad habit she couldn’t let go, but she had better luck than her shishou.

(Sometimes she forgets that Team 7 had notoriously bad luck too.)

Taketori-kun glanced up from her wound. “How did you meet my great, great grandfather?”

“The world wasn’t a very safe place when quirks were first popping up, but Gin-kun was a good man. He was trying to stop some thugs from harassing a local vendor. They had brutal quirks and kept beating him down and giving him a chance to run away, but he didn’t,” She recalled. “So I helped out. He was quirkless, I taught him to defend himself.”

“He thought you were a spirit,” He said as he finished wrapping her wound. “A protector.”

She didn’t know that. Gin-kun said weird things to her, but it never occurred to her that he would come to that conclusion. “I suppose I did disappear a lot and reappear randomly.”

“The cherry tree you gave him wilted but never died and the tanto never dulled,” He prodded.

“Ah.” So that’s where she put her Mokuton experiment. She could barely remember stashing it away with Gin-kun before she went to visit Orochimaru for their trip to Mount Everest. A collaboration study on the Sherpas that seemed as super human as people could get.

“I put a lot of love into making both of those,” She explained.

“Right…” He agreed with a skeptical glare. She gave him the best half-lidded stare she could muster and he twitched in frustration. “I’ll show you to your room. I don’t have any clothes for you but I can send someone to get you something if you tell me your size.”

“Thank you.” She followed him into a smaller room, bare except for a bed and a dresser.

“I have old clothes in the dresser that you can use for tonight until we can get you actual clothes. I’ll be down the hall if you need anything.”

She stopped him before he could leave the room and pinned him with a threatening glare. “You wouldn’t turn me in, would you Taketori-kun?”

“No! No, I take my job as a Hero seriously, you know. You’re safe here.”

When he squirmed sufficiently enough, she smiled sweetly at him. “Good. And don’t forget, we start training at dawn tomorrow.”

He blinked and Sakura pushed him out and closed the door on his confused face. “If you’re late, there will be consequences!” She called through the door.

Yoroi Musha stared at the door in bewilderment and Sakura fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

She dreamed of the red eyes of little girls and of men with new faces. She was old and tired but she finally has a purpose again. Vengeance burned brightly in her chest, but first she must save a little girl from a villain.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by The Long Road by RubyRogue, but taking a completely different perspective.


End file.
